The Love of My Life

Yes, I met him, in fact, I've known him for nearly 7 years and as of recently I realized he is the perfect male. He is the only constant in my life who will not just let me cry into him, but will actually lick the tears off my face. He is the only male I can get mad at not for not taking out the trash, but getting into it, and he will still love me, sometimes even more. He is the one constant in my life where I wouldn't question paying for anything he needs, because in return he gives me companionship. I'm sure you have guessed by now, but this is my nearly 7 year old lab.

Who can resist this face?

I found him in a time in my life when I was feeling lonely. I had been living in Dallas and alone and with no real dating relationships worth discussing or better yet, even blogging about. My friends in Dallas were all in relationships with their now spouses, I was an outsider, I just didn't really fit in. I was sitting in my grandmother's living room in November of 2004 when my mother and sister returned from their walk and said they found a dog for me. I couldn't believe it, was I ready to make this commitment? One look at his awkwardly trotting self with his jowls pulled back so far it looked like he was laughing as he was coming towards me and I knew, this was a male I could really love.

The rawhide

In all these years, he's only betrayed me once. He met an ex-boyfriend not long after I brought him home and he cozied up to him. I told him he was a traitor, but he just sat down to chew on a rawhide, he wasn't concerned. It isn't the person that affects him, it is the emotion behind their actions. This is something we should all think about sometimes. One time he wasn't a fan of a male suitor who was over, so he hopped up on the couch while I was in the kitchen and the guy was laying back relaxing. My dear sweet pup turned around, made his tail go as high as he could and released, right in his face! I laughed hysterically, the guy chuckled, but he left soon thereafter. Point taken. He'll cozy up to the mailman if he senses kindness in his heart. and He's also stood watch while an AC repairman was in a bathroom, telling me full well he didn't trust that guy, and in turn, neither did I. Unfortunately, he couldn't read the lying drunken thief that well either, but that guy was a pro at being a con (oxymoron in terms).

He loves stuffed animals

Last week he had a health scare. My sweet pup was aching, he groaned, he panted, he refused a treat and when he refused cheese I rushed him to the vet. Show me a lab that refuses cheese and isn't sick, and I'll show you money. After many tests, xrays and ultrasounds it resulted that my sweet boy had severe acute pancreatitis. He spent a week at the vet and in the hospital, fasting and on IV's and pain meds and now is finally home recovering. He struggles with being his usual playful self but when he has noticed the concern on my face, he tries to show courage. He's licked the tears off my face quite a few times in the last week and I have wiped what looked like tears off his. He's not just a dog, he's not just my kid, he's my best friend. If you have an animal, you will understand. It isn't their actions that affect you, it is the way they love you. They only react to what they receive. When he was a puppy and if I left him for too long, he would chew up the boxes my shoes were in, but not the shoes. It was a sort of, 'you see the damage I can do, just see what I'll do if you try it again', type of threat. I loved him for that, he respected the shoes, but knew what he was doing and I understood!

Can't you see the concern he has?

I think 7 years ago he saved me from my depression and from not coming out of it. I had to leave my house multiple times a day when I got him, he had to go outside and not long after he came into my life, but so did some new friends and sunshine and soon, light. It is my turn now to do what I can to save him and I will. I have many more heartbreaks ahead of me from a guy or 6 who will come into my life and out, which means more tears to lick away and a big furry neck to nuzzle in when I need it. Somebody asked me the other day what I thought he would be like if he were human, I thought he's perfect how he is now, this is how he was meant to be.

Now if you have a dog or hell, even a cat you walk on a leash, give them an extra hug tonight. That's ultimately all they want, well, and some cheese.

Also, if you are in the Houston area and looking for a place to donate, I highly recommend Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. They are the best, they made him better and have answered everyone of my hysterical calls and they too, let me cry without judgment!

Repeat offenders

Something about this time around on "interweb dating" isn't as funny. I think because I am actually getting matched up with some people who seem somewhat more my style. But of course, there are those few...

 

When I was on eharmony.com last year I was matched up with a guy who went to high school with my sister. I wasn't interested in him and think that if I am going to pay money to date (similar to a prostitute, but not) then I am not going to go on a date with someone from my small hometown. Well I quickly closed him the first time and this was during the "you must give a reason" to why you are closing someone. They had a box for me to check which was "in another relationship". This seems quite ironic to have that option while on a dating site, but I still thought it was a softer blow than "based on statements in your profile" or something along the lines of not liking their pictures. A little background on this fellow, we will call him Anil (I just looked down and saw that name on a document of mine from work...it works). Anil and I were also friends on facebook. He was one of those "serial status updaters". He often put he wanted a girlfriend, he hated going to be early, my favorite one "tonight I am going to drink until I can't think" and so on. He was lonely, I understand being lonely. I don't understand making status updates about it. He did eventually get a girlfriend, he made it "facebook relationship status" official. Then it wasn't about a month or so later that the relationship status quickly changed back to single and daily rants about being lonely, his crazy ex-girlfriend, the fact they were trying to work it out, oh wait, she was still crazy and that he was glad he had a dog to snuggle with while he doesn't have a girlfriend. Again, I have a blog, I get this, but I prefer to make light of my empty bed rather than ask pity for it. Well...turns out, eharmony believes we are compatible yet still. I feel like eharmony is somewhat like my friends who set me up with people just because they are single and not actually because we have anything else in common. It doesn't matter, I closed him without knowing who he was. I only saw that it was Anil from Humble. Here's the situation for any of you readers who do not live in Houston. Humble is a town outside of Houston. It is, without a doubt, a suburb. I have no issue with suburbs, like I've said before, but I do not date outside Houston city limits. This city has 8 million people in it, about 4 million of them are men and about 1.5 million of those men are single. I feel like my chances are pretty good. Well, I had recently de-friended Anil on facebook as his status updates were just depressing and his "liking" a photo of mine was somewhat disturbing considering, yes I am one of those people that says yes to most friend requests, but I don't actually think I have 518 friends and their liking my pictures is kind of weird. Right? Either way. He sent me an email and another friend request calling me out on closing him "I guess it's weird we got matched up on eharmony again. Clearly you aren't interested, and that's fine. Best of luck". Now, if I have closed you AND de-friended you, why would you go to these lengths? Flattered, a little. Interested or intrigued? absolutely not.

Next we have a guy I have gone out with twice. He is so kind, a little funny and cute too. He is also my first back on eharmony date and just like my first internet date ever (4 years ago), he too walks his cat on a leash. How have I managed to go out with two men who walk their cats on leashes and live in a town home complex with an older gentleman who also walks his cat on a leash? Have I missed the memo that this is now acceptable? I think that's where he went wrong and how he has pretty much killed any chance of me having butterflies. The image of him walking out his front door, down the hall, getting on the elevator, walking through the lobby and out to the front of his building, and down the sidewalk, all the while having a cat walk with him on a leash!! It is too much of an image, one I can't escape. Not to mention he got so enthralled on our first date with the pictures of his cat on his phone that I actually started feeling uncomfortable and wasn't sure if I should make a call just to have the minutes go by faster. I like a man who loves animals, but there is a limit.

I am stepping out of my comfort zone. Tuesday night I went out with a 41 year old, divorcee, father of 2 and HE gave me butterflies. This was completely unexpected. I didn't want to go out with anyone with kids nor did I imagine I would go out with someone 10 years older than me with kids and have fun. But I did, I was shocked. I'm growing up, as I told my sister, but I'm still queen of finding a fault to get over the blow of rejection should it come. If he shows up with a parrot on his shoulder on Sunday, I'm done.